Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has launched a three-day economic roundtable in Canberra, aiming to foster consensus-driven reforms for Australia's future. However, technology entrepreneur Matt Barrie has sharply criticised the event, calling it meaningless spin and highlighting the severe challenges facing businesses due to escalating land, labour, and energy costs. Barrie attributes these problems to government policies, including mass immigration and housing market interventions, which he claims have led to real inflation far exceeding official figures and a worsening housing crisis.

Barrie further argues that the current approach to energy and employment is unsustainable, with intermittent renewable power unable to support industrial needs and the immigration programme importing welfare recipients rather than workers. He warns that the country's economic fundamentals are deteriorating rapidly, with high living costs, declining productivity, and increasing dependence on government support. Barrie concludes that without addressing these core issues, the summit will merely serve as a superficial attempt to legitimise ineffective policies.